Pregnant Women Support Act

To provide for programs that reduce abortions, help women bear healthy children, and support new parents.

House of Representatives Bill HR-2045 and Senate Bill S-1032; current 111th session of Congress

Short: Pregnant Women Support Act as introduced.

Official: To provide for programs that reduce abortions, help women bear healthy children, and support new parents. as introduced.

4/22/2009--Introduced.Pregnant Women Support Act - Authorizes the Secretary of Health and Human Services to make grants to increase public awareness of resources available to pregnant women to carry their pregnancy to term and new parents. Amends the Public Health Service Act to allow the Secretary to make grants for the purchase of ultrasound equipment for examinations of pregnant women. Prohibits a health insurance issuer offering individual coverage from imposing a preexisting condition exclusion or a waiting period or otherwise discriminating against a woman on the basis that she is pregnant. Provides for continuation coverage for newborns. Amends title XXI (State Children&apos;s Health Insurance Program) (CHIP, formerly known as SCHIP) of the Social Security Act to allow states to extend health care coverage to an unborn child. Requires health facilities that perform abortions to obtain informed consent from a pregnant woman seeking an abortion. Directs the Secretary to provide for: (1) higher education pregnant and parenting student services offices; and (2) programs to work with pregnant or parenting teens to complete high school. Authorizes grants for services to pregnant women who are victims of domestic violence, dating violence, or stalking. Requires states to require a pregnancy determination for homicide victims. Requires the Secretary to provide for supportive services for pregnant women, mothers, and children. Amends the Internal Revenue Code to increase and make refundable the tax credit for adoption expenses. Authorizes appropriations to carry out the special supplemental nutrition program for women, infants, and children (WIC program). Amends the Food Stamp Act of 1977 to increase the eligibility threshold for food stamps. Authorizes appropriations to carry out the Child Care and Development Block Grant Act of 1990. Authorizes grants to provide to eligible mothers education on the health needs of their infants through visits to their homes by registered nurses. Authorizes grants for collecting and reporting abortion surveillance data.

Senate Sponsor

Janet is an attorney and counsel to a variety of non-profit organizations. She co-founded Hope House of St. Croix Valley and the St. Croix Valley Christians in Action, and has volunteered her services to the St. Croix Valley Life Care Center, The Tubman Family Alliance, and the United Way. In 1994, Janet was elected to the Oak Park Heights City Council and later appointed to the Washington County Corrections Advisory Committee and the Workforce Center Board. Janet founded AM950 The Progressive Voice of Minnesota. She graduated from the University of Notre Dame and St. Louis University Law School.

Jeannie French, Treasurer

A founding member of the Professional Women’s Network, Jeannie French has used her healthcare background to address the effect of abortion on women’s health. She appeared on the MacNeil - Lehrer report on the abortion drug RU-486, and on Sonya LIVE and Chicago Tonight with the message that the response to a crisis pregnancy is to "Eliminate the Crisis Not the Child." The founder of the National Women's Coalition for Life, Jeannie spearheaded a 6 city effort to listen to women who regret their abortions in an attempt to offer help. Real Choices (Multnomah Press) edited by Frederica Mathewes-Green conveys the findings. A lifelong Democrat, Jeannie partnered with her home state governor, the late Bob Casey and others in developing a Democratic pro-life statement Caring for Women-- Caring for the Unborn, A New American Compact. In addition to her health care work, Jeannie served as the Director of the Pro-Life Office for the Archdiocese of Chicago under the late Joseph Cardinal Bernardin. Jeannie's personal experience of carrying a fatally impaired baby to term led to her testimony before the US Senate Judiciary and other state assemblies in support of a ban on partial-birth abortion. Jeannie, a single mother for 20 years, has opened her home to other single mothers on multiple occasions. A consultant to nonprofit organizations, she remains actively involved in senior health care and environmental issues. French holds a Masters in Health Administration from the University of Pittsburgh Graduate School of Public Health.

Tom Berg, Secretary

Tom is the James L. Oberstar Professor of Law and Public Policy at the University of St. Thomas School of Law, Minnesota, where he teaches and writes on constitutional law, religious liberty, law and religion, and intellectual property. He is the author of four books, dozens of scholarly and popular articles, and numerous briefs in the U.S. Supreme Court and lower courts. He has served as the law school’s associate dean for academic affairs and director of its Terrence J. Murphy Institute for Catholic Thought, Law, and Public Policy. He has degrees from the University of Chicago, in both law and religious studies; from Oxford University, in philosophy and politics (as a Rhodes Scholar); and from Northwestern University, in journalism. He is married to Maureen Kane Berg, and they have two sons, ages 16 and 13.

Charlie Camosy

Charlie Camosy is Associate Professor of Theological and Social Ethics at Fordham University. Among other places, his articles have appeared in the American Journal of Bioethics, Journal of Medicine and Philosophy, Journal of the Catholic Health Association, USA Today,Washington Post, Los Angeles Times, and Commonweal. He is the author of four books, including Beyond the Abortion Wars: a Way Forward for a New Generation. In addition to serving as an adviser for the Humane Society of the United States and the Children's Hospital of New York, Camosy received the 2012-13 Robert Bryne award from the Fordham Respect Life Club. He is also a member of the international working group "Contending Modernities" which attempts to bring secular liberalism, Catholicism, and Islam into dialogue about bioethics. Camosy has facilitated several projects which attempt to deal with polarized issues, including a major international conference at Princeton (2010) designed to find new ways to think and speak about abortion. He is a registered Independent--but strongly supports the mission of DFL, especially its comprehensive, bipartisan approach which refuses to choose between women and prenatal children.

Matt Tuman

Matt formerly worked on Capitol Hill for both U.S. Senator Bob Casey and former Congressman Christopher Carney. He is a graduate of Mount St. Mary’s University. He serves as the State Chapter Coordinator for DFLA working to build up DFLA chapters locally across the country. Matt is a native of northeastern Pennsylvania and now resides in Washington, D.C.

Steve Schneck

Stephen Schneck served as chair of the Department of Politics at The Catholic University of America for nine years and as Associate Professor in that department for fourteen years. He also served as Director of the Institute for Policy Research & Catholic Studies.

Schneck’s research is in the field of political philosophy, with special emphases on 18th century American political thought and on contemporary continental political theory; recent work has focused on the role of religion in democracy. Publications include works on American political thought (on the Constitution, or on figures such as Alexis de Tocqueville) as well as on contemporary continental authors. Among his published works are two book-length studies on Max Scheler, an edited work on Fred Dallmayr, and articles and chapters ranging from studies of French post-structuralism to the examination of the critical theory of Jürgen Habermas.

A well-known Washington-area public lecturer, with frequent media appearances, Dr. Schneck has also been honored for his teaching. He was named Teacher of the Year three times at The Catholic University of America and has received several other teaching awards.

As Institute Director, Dr. Schneck has sought to enlarge the breadth of the Institute's work, in order to address a wide array of contemporary public policies through rigorous academic research. Under his leadership, the Institute grew to more than fifty fellows.

Lisa Stiller

Lisa Stiller's background includes work in education and journalism and has an MA in Secondary Education and MA in Communication Studies. She has volunteered for many nonprofits, using her skills in media, training, writing and editing, lobbying, and event coordination. Lisa has been a board member of Consistent Life since 2012 and has been helping coordinate conferences, write resource material, and advocate anywhere she can for a consistent life ethic. She organizes tables/booths at many national conferences, including many where agendas are not always in line with a consistent life ethic. Work experience includes teaching from elementary school to higher ed, working as a school counselor, and working in print and broadcast journalism. Pro-life (or rather whole life) her whole life, Lisa has stood up to friends, family, fellow Democrats, and the people she volunteers with to advocate for life Lisa currently lives near Portland, Oregon, and has recently become a state contact for Oregon.

Michael Wear

Michael Wear is the founder of Public Square Strategies LLC, and a leading expert and strategist at the intersection of faith, politics and American public life. As one of President Obama's "ambassadors to America's believers" (Buzzfeed), Michael directed faith outreach for President Obama’s historic 2012 re-election campaign. Michael was also one of the youngest White House staffers in modern American history: he served in the White House faith-based initiative during President Obama’s first term, where he led evangelical outreach and helped manage The White House’s engagement on religious and values issues, including adoption and anti-human trafficking efforts.

Today, Public Square Strategies LLC is a sought-after firm that helps religious organizations, political organizations, businesses and others effectively navigate the rapidly changing American religious and political landscape.

Michael is the author of Reclaiming Hope: Lessons Learned in the Obama White House About the Future of Faith in America. He also writes for The Atlantic, Christianity Today, USA Today, Relevant Magazine and other publications on faith, politics, and culture. He serves on the national board of Bethany Christian Services, the nation's largest adoption agency, and holds an honorary position at the University of Birmingham’s Cadbury Center for the Public Understanding of Religion. Michael and his wife, Melissa, are both proud natives of Buffalo, New York. They now reside in Washington, D.C.

The National Association of EvangelicalsUS Conference of Catholic BishopsAmericans United for LifeDemocrats for Life of AmericaNational Council on AdoptionLife Education and Resource NetworkRedeem the VoteCARENETTony Campolo, founder of the Evangelical Association for the Promotion of EducationJoe Turnham, Chairman, Alabama Democratic PartyBob Casey, Jr., U.S. Senate candidateMartin Sheen, actor

Kristen Day is the Executive Director of Democrats For Life of America and oversees all operations of the Washington, D.C. office.

Kristen began her interest in politics at Michigan State University where she was elected to serve as a Precinct Delegate during her sophomore year. She worked for State Representative Rick Sitz and went on to work for the Government Affairs Office at Michigan State University. After graduation, Kristen followed her lifelong dream to work on Capitol Hill where she eventually rose to serve in the highest position as the Chief of Staff for Congressman Jim Barcia.

One of her passions was working to pass pro-life and pro-family legislation and also advocated for Democrats who oppose abortion. Working for the Democratic Co-Chair of the Bi-partisan House Pro-life Caucus, Kristen set up a whip operation to alert pro-life Democrats when important pro-life votes were going to come on the Floor or in Committee. Also, in this capacity, she helped Democrats For Life connect with other pro-life Democratic elected officials and private citizens who were interested in helping the organization grow. Additionally, she worked with pro-life groups to remind them that pro-life Democrats are not only needed but essential, for pro-life legislation to pass the House and Senate.

Day’s articles have been published in the Harvard Crimson, the National Review and other Publications. She is the author of Democrats For Life: Pro-Life Politics and the Silenced Majority published by New Leaf Press in July 2006. The book outlines the history of the pro-life Democrat movement. She was published in the 2006 Notre Dame Journal on Law and Public Policy with a piece entitled, "Politics and the Culture of Life-Why I am Still a Democrat."

Day speaks on behalf of women and pro-life Democrats. She has been a guest on radio talk shows like NPR's Talk of the Nation, and has appeared on FOX News and Channel 7. She has been quoted in USA Today, The Washington Times, Boston Globe, Chicago Tribune, The San Francisco Chronicle and other news outlets.

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DFLA Mission Statement

Democrats For Life of America advocates and supports programs and policies that respect and promote life from conception to natural death. This includes, but is not limited to, opposition to abortion, capital punishment, and euthanasia. Learn more...